Saturday, 23 February 2013

Today is Autistic People Should.....Flashblog day.
There is a lot of negative out there about us. Yesterday Judy Endow posted on Facebook that she Googled Autistic People Should and Google's top four entries were:
1. autistic people should be killed
2. autistic people should die
3. autistic people should be exterminated
4. autistic people shouldn't have children

I just Googled it myself and it is still coming up that way. Scary stuff.

Today, it is getting better. Many autistics are blogging Autistic People Should... and changing it up.
Here is the postroll link for the Autistic People Should... blog http://autisticpeopleshould.blogspot.ca/p/postroll.html
If everyone writes the good and true then the bad and untrue can be pushed out of the top entries.
So many great posts.

I think Autistic People Should...
be individuals, not robots the same as each other
be able to marry if they want
be able to have children if they want
have jobs if they want
do the things they like
stim when they want
be the best that they can be

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

I still struggle with sensory integration dysfunction and
severe anxiety.I was recently given
some strategies by an Occupational Therapist who works with many adults on the
spectrum.These strategies were
hopefully going to reduce some of my sensitivities that were causing problems
in my marriage and also reduce some of my anxiety.

I was given three activities to try: chewing gum, using a
straw to drink, and the Wilbarger Protocol, along with the things I already do
such as regular exercise, horseback riding, and swinging.

Heavy work activities like chewing and sucking can help with
organizing and arousal level in the body.There are other types of heavy work but those are the primary ones
suggested for me.

Chewing gum is something I usually do because it seems to
help reduce my reflux (there has been a study done on it for that use).Chewing can be a calming activity.When you are chewing gum (or your finger
nails, pens, pencils), you are getting constant proprioceptive input through
your jaw.This may help with
calming.I don’t notice that this
activity has a calming effect on me.Maybe if I tried chewing when I am really anxious, I would notice a
difference or maybe it just doesn’t work for me.

Sucking liquids through a straw was also recommended for me
to do as a calming exercise.As with the
gum, I haven’t noticed any difference.

The third suggestion was to try the Wilbarger Protocol.This was to help with my sensitivity to touch
and also to decrease my anxiety.Usually
another person assists but an adult can do it for themselves with some
modifications.

First a special brush is used with very firm pressure on the
arms, legs, back, palms, and backs of the hands - Never on the face or stomach.Immediately after brushing, joint compressions are
performed.Since I was doing it for
myself, I had to do pushups against the wall, jump up and down, and also do
compressions on my sternum. The routine doesn’t take too long, only 2-3 minutes but it
has to be done every two hours while you are awake.The number of sessions can be cut down after
a couple of weeks.

Again, I found this did not work for
me.In fact, I ended up slightly more
anxious because I had to try and fit it in every two hours. It also did not
improve my sensitivity to touch.

Sensory Integration therapies are not scientifically proven
therapies but they are generally not harmful (some are even fun!) to try so I
didn’t have a problem with attempting them.They also help many people.

I am disappointed that not one of the suggestions worked for
me.

One of the autistic adults, who I follow on Facebook, wrote
about custom ear plugs and showed a picture of what hers looked like.Ear plugs can make things much quieter for
those of us who are sound sensitive, thereby decreasing anxiety.I didn’t know that ear plug could be custom
made.I have tried regular ear plugs
without success.They fall out too
easily.I even tried the earmuffs that
go over your ears but they bother my ears so I can’t tolerate them.

I emailed several audiologists/hearing aid centres telling
them I was autistic and the type of ear plugs I was looking for.I also wanted to get some information from
them as to whether they made custom ear plugs.Two places replied saying they do and to call for an appointment.A third place emailed me some information and
pricing.They didn’t pressure me to call
for an appointment so I emailed them and asked if I could make an appointment
through email instead of calling and they were fine with that.

I went to their office and picked out the type and colour of
earplugs that I wanted after the man explained a bit about the ones he
recommended for me.Next a mould had to
be made of my ear.A bit of foam was
pushed half way down my ear canal and then a syringe was used to fill my ear
with the moulding material.After a few
minutes, the dried material was pried out of my ear and sent to the lab.The colour I chose for my earplugs was
purple!

It took a week for them to come back from the lab and we
discovered they needed to be resized.They were too big for my ears.They were sent back and new ones made.

I now have my earplugs which don’t fall out!I have to work at getting them in properly and
they are bothering my ears a bit but I will go back for some help.

I have only had the earplugs for three days and have used
them for grocery shopping and when my daughter has had her friends over to
play.I even wore them out to dinner.

The earplugs take the edge off the noise thereby lowering my
anxiety.

I am hoping that by discovering ideas like custom earplugs,
I will be able to function better and with less anxiety.I am grateful to have found other autistic
bloggers who share their strategies.

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About Me

Some of my writing style and views on autism have changed since the beginning of this blog but I am leaving the original posts as is. The blog also has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAnAutismFamilyBlogI am autistic and have anxiety and a learning disability. I ride as a para-equestrian.